RT17IB – Highlights of Vietnam 11D10N

• Code Tour: RT17IB
• Tour style: Private Tour
• Duration: 11 days 10 nights
• Group size: On request
• Tour route: Ha Noi – Ninh Binh – Ha Long Bay – Da Nang – Hoi An – Hue – Sai Gon – Mekong Delta

PRICE FROM: $673/PAX

DAY 01: HANOI ARRIVAL

Noi Bai International Airport to your hotel in Hanoi (35km): 45 mins

Arrive in Hanoi and be welcomed by the guide and transfer to hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 02: HANOI [B/L/D]

This morning, the tour starts at 08:30. Drive pass the historical Ba Dinh Square where Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the independence of Vietnam in 1945.

Driver drops off at Lenin Garden – communal space of local for taking an easy walk through before strolling through areas where sewing shops have been in family hands for generations, and people still practice the old ways, or admire the daily life of local people in the alley of Hanoi.

Proceed to Temple of Literature and explore its role in the country’s past, as both a university and a temple.

If interested, make a stop at the last courtyard where Vietnamese traditional instruments contribute to the oriental feel. For travelers who are musicians, opportunities to play some notes will present themselves, all under the guidance of the artists.

Afterward, visit the fascinating Ethnology Museum (closed on Mondays), which is both a research centre and a public museum exhibiting the ethnic groups of Vietnam. Lunch is at a local restaurant.

Towards the end of the tour, embark on a walk through Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Witness the ancient commercial street names, mirroring the crafts and businesses dating back over a thousand years.

Make a stop at Thuong Tra tea house nested in an old apartment building, just to escape from Hanoi’s bustling life and learn about the importance of drinking tea in Vietnamese society while sipping on a cup of tea.

Then take a stroll around the charming Hoan Kiem Lake to enjoy local daily life passing by. Finish the day with a Water Puppet show. This is a uniquely northern Vietnamese art form depicting scenes from rural life and episodes of national history. 

Have dinner at the restaurant.

Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 03: HANOI – NINH BINH – HANOI [B/L/D]

Hanoi to Ninh Binh (100km): 2 hours.

7:00 – 7:30: Get picked up at your hotel, then depart for Ninh Binh province.

10:30: Visit Hoa Lu, an ancient capital of Vietnam. You also have a chance to learn about Vietnamese history in the feudal system under Dinh, Le and Ly Dynasty. 

12:00: Have lunch in the restaurants with a lot of local foods like goat meat, Ninh Binh burnt rice, then take a rest. 

13:30: Visit Tam Coc by bamboo boat. You will be surprised by the charming beauty here with paddy fields, limestone mountains and a stunning cave system. All make a masterpiece that the Vietnamese people call ‘Ha Long Bay on land’.

15:30: Get back on bus then leave for Mua Cave. Walk up almost 500 steps, you can reach the top of Lying Dragon Mountain and have an amazing panoramic view of Tam Coc from here.

17:00: Get on the bus back to Hanoi.

Have dinner at the restaurant.

Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 04: HANOI – HALONG BAY [B/L/D]

Have Breakfast at the hotel.

7:45 – 8:15: Get picked up from your hotel.

8:15 – 11:30: Follow the newest highway connecting Hanoi and Hai Phong. 

12:00 – 12:30: Check in Reception at dock 35 Tuan Chau

12:30 – 12:45: Leaving dock to cruise in the bay.

13:30: Check in Cruise and Have lunch.

15:30 – 17:00: Kayaking and swimming at Tra Bau area (the background of “Kong Skull Island movie”) or use Jacuzzi (Located prow of 3rd deck)

Notice: Short close or swim suite, flip flop is suitable for kayaking.

Reception Provide: Life jackets; Towels, Dry bags (keep Camera, cellphone to take picture)

Meeting point: The Reception (The back of the second Deck)

18:00: Enjoy Sunset Party: Cakes; peanut; fruit, tea for complementary and join the cooking demonstration during sunset party, enjoy happy hour and relax.

19:30: Have dinner.

20:30: Evening entertainments: squid fishing, relaxing and spending the night on the Doris Cruise.

DAY 04: HALONG BAY – NOI BAI AIRPORT – DANANG – HOI AN [B/L/D]

06:00: Practice Tai chi on the Sundeck.

7:30 – 8:00: Have breakfast.

08:30 – 10:00: Visit Dark & Bright Cave by our tender.

You can do the rowing boat trip with local people or you can stay on the cruise to relax.

10:00: Go back to the cruise.

10:30: Check your cabin out. Please put your luggage in front of the door and return your room key to the receptionist, take good care of your important belongings.

10:45: Have lunch at the restaurant.

11:45: Leaving Doris Cruise to get on the transfer boat back to Tuan Chau Harbor dock 35.

12:30: Arrive the mainland. Transfer back to Hanoi Airport and take a short flight to Danang, on arrival in Danang transfer 40-minutes to Hoi An, a major Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries whose architecture and relaxed lifestyle has changed little over the years. 

Overnight in Hoi An.

DAY 06: HOI AN DISCOVERY [B/L/D]

This morning, go on a walking tour in Hoi An, a charming destination with two faces – the old-world trading port of narrow streets and traditional houses, and the beach with its new resorts and long stretches of clean white sand.

In keeping with Hoi An’s heritage as a trading port, the town’s tiny shop houses now host a range of craft shops and artisans including some of Asia’s best tailors. Despite the passing of 200 years and the ravages of weather and war, the centre of Hoi An remains much the same as it was in its heyday. Take a walking tour of the ancient town centre to visit former merchants’ houses, the 400 years-old Japanese Bridge, a Chinese communal hall and the colorful market.

This afternoon, take a 15-minute drive from Hoi An Ancient Town to Cua Dai Estuary. Upon arrival at Duy Hai Fishing Village, enjoy the bustling morning fish market and then visit a family-run fish sauce workshop under the guidance of the owner to learn about this essential ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine.

Get on a boat and go upstream the ‘Mother River’ from Thu Bon to Duy Vinh Village.  These villages are well-known for traditional weaving sedge mat. This land was created by three Alluvium Rivers such as Thu Bon, Truong Giang and Ly Ly which provides the perfect land to plant the materials for the sedge mat. Pass by a shrimp and duck farm to get a glimpse about agriculture river life.

Depending on the season (from Feb to Apr and from Jul to Sep), see golden paddy fields during harvest season or green groves of jute along the banks of the Thu Bon River.

Upon arrival at Ban Thach Mat Village, where abundant sources of raw rush used to weave mats have allowed the villagers to develop their own handicraft and improve their lives for 400 years and start cycling to explore the beauty of a typical village in the Central of Vietnam. Learn the full process of sedge mat weaving from cutting sedge on the field to a finished mat following traditional method. See the way locals manage to keep their traditional occupation in a modern and constantly evolving time. Display personal creativity with unique patterns! End the trip sharing a simple yet friendly home-hosted brunch and return to Hoi An across Cam Kim Bridge.

Have dinner at the restaurant.

Overnight in Hoi An.

DAY 07: HOI AN – HUE [B/L/D]

Hoi An to Hue (150km): 3 hours

Enjoy this morning at leisure before leaving Hoi An for Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. Its mesmerizing tombs and mausoleums of the last emperors of Vietnam reveal fascinating insights into the lives of the imperial families and their subjects.

The Ancient Citadel reflects the pomp and ceremony of the dynastic rulers as well as the scars of many years of turmoil, both ancient and modern. The Royal Citadel was badly damaged in the latter stages of the war but retains a sense of grace and majesty even today.

Have dinner at the restaurant.

Overnight in Hue.

DAY 08: HUE CITY TOUR [B/L/D]

At 08:30 this morning, depart from the hotel in Hue for a city tour of the ancient town. Start at the Imperial Citadel where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. From here take a cyclo through dai noi ‘Old City.

Continue to visit Thien Mu (Celestial Lady) Pagoda overlooking the Perfume River; constructed in 1601, the 21-meter-tall tower is the centerpiece of the pagoda and represents seven reincarnations of Buddha.

Lunch at a local restaurant for an authentic Hue style cuisine.

Continue to former emperor Tu Duc’s – One of the most appealing attractions in Hue to visit. It is still the most romantic, imposing, and impressive of all royal mausoleums in Vietnam.

Journey on to Khai Dinh’s Tomb designed in traditional Vietnamese style with a European touch making it unique from the other tombs in Hue.

Have dinner at the restaurant.

DAY 09: HUE – HO CHI MINH CITY [B/L/D]

Routes can change subject to client’s interest.

Transfer to Hue Airport after breakfast for the short flight to dynamic Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by the locals.

Meet with a local guide and set off on a half day tour in Ho Chi Minh City. Start with a visit to the city’s most iconic building: Reunification Hall. Formerly called the Presidential Palace, images of the building were seen around the world on 30 April 1975 when tanks stormed the gates as Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese. Hear the echoes of time while walking through this historic downtown site

Then take a stroll to Ho Chi Minh City’s colonial quarter, walking past scenes of everyday life on the way. Admire the beautiful architecture of the Opera House, City Hall, the old Saigon Post Office, Hear about the glory days of French Indochina and how that era continues to influence aspects of modern Vietnamese culture.

Step inside the War Remnants Museum for an insightful, yet sombre, look into Vietnam’s military history. See exhibitions displaying imagery from the French and American wars, learning more about the country’s struggle for independence and hearing tales of the resilience of the Vietnamese people.

Then step off the tourist trail for one last visit on this Ho Chi Minh City tour at a Vietnamese coffee shop, sit down and taste the coffee like locals. After this insightful visit, return to the hotel.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Have dinner at the restaurant.

Note: History Museum is closed on Mondays.

DAY 10: HO CHI MINH CITY – MEKONG DELTA – HO CHI MINH CITY [B/L/D]

HCMC to Ben Tre (100km): 2 hours.

This tour begins at 08:30. Leave the busy streets and modern buildings of Ho Chi Minh City behind on this Ben Tre full day trip. Following breakfast, drive south of the city to the Mekong Delta, a remarkable agricultural area referred to as ‘the rice bowl of Vietnam’.

On arrival in Ben Tre Province, take a boat to sightsee activities along the riverside such as fishing and water transferring. Stop at a brick kiln and depending on the day, get a chance to observe how bricks are made in a traditional style. 

Continue to visit one of the many coconut processing workshops and watch how the locals open coconuts by hand (coconut husking) before cruising along the canals to a coconut candy workshop. Get a chance to learn all about the coconut candy making process.

Taste honey harvested by the residents and the different kinds of tropical fruits. Cruise along local creeks through the villages to enjoy the tranquility of the countryside.

Please note: Travel by Lambro needs to be reserved well in advance due to limited vehicles.

Ride through tranquil villages and see vegetable gardens that provide a touch of real life and tropical culture from peasants. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant. At the end of the tour, drive back to Saigon.

Have dinner at the restaurant.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 11: HO CHI MINH CITY DEPARTURE [B/L]

Departure day.

Have breakfast at the hotel.

Freetime to explore the city.

Have lunch at the restaurant and then transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for onward flight.

Services end!